A sequel to Super Mario Maker is coming to the Nintendo Switch! Just like in the original, players make their own Super Mario levels using a wide variety of user-friendly tools featuring segments and objects from across the Mario series.
Slope tools, vertical levels, custom level scrolling, a Super Mario 3D World graphics layer, and many more fan-requested features have been added to this sequel which may also increase the discoverability of levels.
Bioware’s future is indeed in jeopardy as many have feared. While the gameplay engine and graphics of Anthem should sell for an instant success the title has struggled to ship units since its release on Xbox One, PS4, and PC February 22, 2019. Sales of this title could be very important for the studio’s survival as subsidiaries of EA Games have historically been closed down after just one flop at times.
According to the NPD via EA, Anthem has sold 50% of Mass Effect Andromeda’s physical launch sales and around 25% of Destiny’s digital sales. The numbers also indicate that Kingdom Hearts 3 and Resident Evil 2 sold much higher in their opening weekends. The next Dragon Age title which was teased recently will need to rise to meet the demand from shareholders to keep Bioware’s relationship with EA Games alive.
In part of a financial forecast made by Square Enix regarding Fiscal Year 2019 and 2020 the release date of an unnamed major video game was cited to investors as a large boost for market performance at Square Enix. Fans who follow the game industry have already been gathering hints about the upcoming Marvel’s The Avengers video game by Crystal Dynamics and Eidos Montreal since it was announced by Square Enix in the beginning of 2017. The reports suggest it’s a safe bet that the game will see a heavy marketing push and could also be likely to release this year.
Fans of the Bayonetta series will be very much aware of Nintendo’s strong business relationship with the Osaka, Japan development studio PlatinumGames responsible for such titles as NieR:Automata, Vanquish, and of course Bayonetta 1, 2, and 3. The team has even gone as far as becoming almost a second-party developer at times, working on important first party licenses such as Star Fox Zero, Madworld, and The Wonderful 101. Thanks to this arrangement, gamers could see a once Xbox exclusive project emerge as a title only available on the Nintendo Switch platform.
When Nintendo launched the Wii U launched back in 2012, it launched with several titles, most of them ports of games from the PS3 and 360. Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition, Assassin’s Creed 3, Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge, Warriors Orochi 3 Hyper, Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed, and others. Along with all the ports, there were a few original titles in the mix, one of them was New Super Mario Bros. U, a title that sold very well at launch and is considered to be one of the best in the series. An expansion, New Super Luigi U, was added later that threw a few new twists in the formula. Eventually the two games were bundled onto one disc.
Fast-forward to today, the Wii U has long since been abandoned in favor of the extremely successful Nintendo Switch, and about 85% of the Wii U’s library has ended up being ported to the Switch in some way, shape or form, usually with enhancements that balance out the games and make them that much better. New Super Mario Bros. U is one of those aforementioned titles, now known as New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, the Switch version like the Wii U NSMBU bundle, includes both New Super Mario Bros. U and New Super Luigi U out the gate. The enhancements to the game are small but noticeable.
[Update: Bethesda has reached out to the originator of the rumor claiming that there are ‘currently no plans’ for Fallout 76 to go free-to-play. RealGamerNewZ remains skeptical about the truthfulness of this statement from Bethesda, which could simply be damage control ahead of a longer wait until such action commences. Standard Editions of the game have been discontinued and in some countries (with strong refund laws) sent back to Bethesda as part of a “Buy Back” program.]
Reports are coming in that EBGames in Australia may be pulling physical copies of Fallout 76 to prepare for Bethesda to transition the game into a free-to-play format. Currently these are just rumors but given the situation with the open world “softcore survival” online multiplayer game and it’s lukewarm release, this wouldn’t be a shocking move at this point.
When Tales of Vesperia released back in the summer of 2008 exclusively for the Xbox 360, many of us didn’t realize what a journey the game was going to take is on, or that we’d end up growing attached to the cast of characters that ended up joining our party. Sometime later, a PS3 version was announced for Japan that included a new character, all skits fully voiced, fleshed out the story and a slew of extras that were absent from the version of the game Xbox 360 got. Fans clamored for the release of the PS3 version overseas for years, but the cries were ignored. It seemed as though Bandai Namco had given up on the Tales series getting localized altogether. That changed when Tales of Graces f came overseas and began a slew of localization efforts to renew the series, as well as introduce it to new fans. But in spite of that, sadly the PS3 version of Tales of Vesperia never did see release overseas. Fast forward to a decade after the original release of Tales of Vesperia, rumors started that a remastering of the game was going to be coming and that it was coming overseas.
At E3 2018 in June, those rumors were confirmed. Tales of Vesperia Definitive Edition was announced at Microsoft’s E3 press conference and show, and this time, the game was coming to multiple platforms. Not only that, it was going to be based on the PS3 version that never left Japan. Meaning we were going to get all the things that were left out of the initial Xbox 360 release. Tales of Vesperia Definitive Edition hit the Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch and PC on January 11th, 2019 to quite a bit of fanfare from both die-hard Tales series fans and newcomers alike. So, how does the game hold up a decade after its original release?
Call of Duty battle royale became a reality upon the release of Black Ops 4 on October 12, 2018. Ever since, Treyarch’s take on the “100 enter, one leaves” sub-genre has risen to a high status of popularity with many gamers and critics alike praising it as one of the best battle royale experiences available. Arguably un-seating the first mega-hit in the battle royale sub-genre, PUBG, Blackout seems to have taken a strong second place position underneath Fortnite depending on who you talk to. Since Black Ops 4 didn’t release with a story mode campaign though, there is a certain crowd of people who may have skipped the game. Now, starting January 17, 2019, Treyarch will offer a free trial period for Blackout which gives potential players a chance to see what they’ve been missing.
In so many ways, Onimusha: Warlords for the Nintendo Switch shows us how the first release of this title for PlayStation 2 in 2001 and Xbox in 2002 truly was ahead of its time. Combining elements later seen in much more difficult titles like Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Nioh but while providing the interesting (albeit campy) storyline, dialogue, and role playing characters / elements Capcom’s dark adventure titles are well known for; Much akin to Resident Evil 3: Nemesis. Coming soon, players can experience the game with modern controls (or classic) on PS4 or the Nintendo Switch January 15. 2019. We’ve put hours in on the latter and have come back from the crusade against evil in feudal Japan to report on the experience.
As the new year begins we are already being faced with a landslide of scandals in every industry. For the hip hop community, R. Kelly’s reputation has been destroyed by 20 years of accusations leading to a Lifetime documentary series called “Surviving R. Kelly”. Randy Pitchford (CEO of Gearbox Software) also faces his own allegations including a $12 Million embezzlement in 2014 as well as illegal files said to have been found on a USB Stick containing sensitive information regarding contracts the studio had with Sony, Microsoft, 2K Games, and more. As both cases continue, we give our thoughts.
Other topics for this week’s show include the ending for Kingdom Hearts III as a free update, Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy making its way to the Nintendo Switch later this year, Eddie Murphy’s Coming To America receiving a sequel in the near future, Resident Evil 2 Remake hands-on gameplay impressions, and a lot more hip hop and video games news topics.
I’ve just tried out the Resident Evil 2 One Shot Demo for the first time. It was definitely proof of Capcom’s excellence in producing a remake of the 1998 classic with a perfect blend of modern gaming and the soul of the series. Lighting is used to keep players on edge and excitement levels high. Slightly slower than real life movement rather than super fast controls give a sense of danger and introduce real risk to every moment. Even the fact that the demo only gives you 30 minutes and one chance at survival makes you rush into things only to discover how fatal it can be not to use your brain for critical thinking while playing this game.
Resident Evil 2 appears to be giving long-time fans an authentic tribute honoring a game that, while seen as campy by today’s standards, actually was on the leading edge of the emerging 3D gaming Survival Horror during the time period in which it released. Capcom has returned the Resident Evil series to grace with RE7 giving a radically new take on the series and now RE2 appears to solidify the spirit of Resident Evil in a way no release has ever done before. Don’t be surprised if this title turns out to be the best Survival Horror game ever made when it launches in 2 weeks on Friday January 25, 2019 for PS4, Xbox, and PC.
A lot of people are not liking 76, and despite our Fallout 76 Review, countless controversies surrounding business practices that we are not fans of and are impossible to defend have emerged. Perhaps most tragic, BattleCry studios being renamed to Bethesda Game Studios (Austin) means that the actions of a “B-Team” are directly affecting gamers’ perception of the core studio who have been busy working on their next big single player RPG; Starfield. This is of course, Bethesda’s own fault for being misleading about who made 76 before and during its many marketing blunders and anti-consumer decisions.
The result is that Starfield and The Elder Scrolls VI will be immensely crucial in Bethesda’s long road ahead of earning back gamers’ trust and will now likely face enormous pressure paired with already high expectations being set by their fantastical marketing campaigns. However, part of The Elder Scrolls VI’s pre-development phase has already drawn its first controversy before the nearly completed Starfield has even been given the chance to see light of day. Well respected composer Jeremy Soule (credited for Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim soundtracks) has confirmed earlier this week that he has not been asked to return for development of music for The Elder Scrolls VI soundtrack.
The early 90’s were a very special time in gaming history, Nintendo and Sega’s console wars were at a peak, everyone wanted either the SNES or the Genesis and great games were being churned out like crazy on both systems. The Sega Genesis Classics collection on the PS4 / XB1 and Switch are a reminder of those days. Remember those Christmases as a kid when you were waiting with baited breath to see if your folks got you the latest Sega Genesis or SNES games that everyone was talking about at school? This collection allows you to relive those days with over 50 classic titles. For the low price of $29.99, you’re getting an incredible deal.
Hackers have allegedly found hidden code within Fallout 76 which suggests that “lunch boxes” similar to those found in Fallout Shelter could be added to the game in the near future. If true, this is likely to become the next scandal in a revolving door of bad press situations Bethesda has found themselves in since the initial leak of Fallout 76.
Perhaps some of the mishandling of the game and its public communications are the fault of BattleCry Studios (now renamed to Bethesda Game Studios Austin) which is responsible for the development of the game after their only other title, BattleCry, was cancelled. Regardless, Bethesda will continue to take a hit for each incident the game encounters as they’ve portrayed the title as being from the core team rather than allowing the BattleCry staff to take responsibility for the good / bad of Fallout 76. The title is one that we enjoy personally, as seen in our Fallout 76: First 76 Hrs Review.
However, there have been some scenarios which even fans of the game are not able to defend. The latest lunch box rumor is just that. Read on for more information, but keep in mind that this is all just a rumor at this time and has not been confirmed.
The one Smash Bros. game to rule them all. Fans have been waiting to see all of the Smash Bros. characters in one place for years. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate provides that insane library of characters, while adding new ones, and above all excels at every area of game design to produce a top notch quality release for the family-friendly fighting game franchise which truly celebrates the love of gaming. Try it out with a group of friends or engage in its brand new single player story mode with boundless items and tweaks to unlock.
